One of the few drugs available for use in the United States for the treatment of congestive heart failure, whereby such treatment is to provide positive inotropic support for the heart, is the compound dobutamine (Dobutrex.RTM. for injection; brand name E. Lilly). Dobutamine or 4-[2-[[3-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)-1-methylpropyl]amino]ethyl]-1,2-benzenediol, h owever, is not orally effective and so is used primarily as an injectable in a clinical setting. The object of this invention is to provide an orally active and administratable pro-drug of dobutamine, that is, its tri-isobutyric acid ester.